In the original novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan’s African estate is located in two different primary regions depending on which book you are reading.
Because Burroughs was not always consistent with geography, the location shifted as the series progressed:
1. The Original Location: Uziri (Central/West Africa)
- In early books like The Return of Tarzan and The Beasts of Tarzan, Tarzan establishes his headquarters in a region called Uziri.
- This was the land of the Waziri tribe, a fictional group of fierce warriors who became Tarzan’s loyal allies and "cavalry."
- Maps of Burroughs' fictional Africa typically place Uziri in what would be modern-day Angola or the border of the Congo Basin.
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| Africa |
2. The Later Location: British East Africa (Kenya/Tanzania)
- By the time of Tarzan the Untamed (set during WWI), the estate is explicitly described as being in British East Africa (modern-day Kenya).
- It is generally accepted by fans that Tarzan and the Waziri tribe relocated their primary "bungalow" and farm eastward.
- This estate was a massive plantation featuring imported livestock, a flower-covered bungalow, and proximity to the German East Africa border (modern-day Tanzania), which played a major role in the plot when German soldiers attacked the estate.
- In the Tarzan book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the Greystoke estate—often referred to as his "African plantation" or "bungalow"—is a central setting that undergoes significant turmoil.
- While it is mentioned in passing in many books as his home base, it is featured most prominently or suffers destruction in the following titles:
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| Africa Rivers |
- This is where the estate is first established.
- After Tarzan helps the Waziri tribe defeat Arab raiders, they adopt him as their king.
- He builds his headquarters in their
- The territory (Uziri), which at this point is located in Central/West Africa (near the Angola and Congo border according to ERB's descriptions).
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| The Return Of Tarzan |
2. Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar (Book 5)
- While Tarzan is away on an expedition to the lost city of Opar to replenish his family fortune, the estate is attacked by a band of Arab raiders and a rogue Belgian officer.
- The plantation is burned, many Waziri warriors are killed, and Jane is kidnapped. This book highlights the vulnerability of the estate despite its fierce protectors.
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| Tarzzan AndThe Jewels Of Opar |
- This book contains the most famous and devastating attack on the estate.
- Set during World War I, a unit of German soldiers from German East Africa (Tanganyika) raids the estate while Tarzan is away.
- The estate is completely razed to the ground.
- Tarzan returns to find a charred body wearing Jane’s rings, leading him to believe she is dead (she was actually kidnapped).
- One of his closest Waziri friends, Wasimbu, is found crucified.
- This leads to Tarzan’s "untamed" phase, where he wages a one-man war against the German army in East Africa.
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| Joe Jusko |
4. Tarzan and the Golden Lion (Book 9)
- Following the end of the war and the events of Tarzan the Terrible, Tarzan and Jane return home.
- The estate is shown being painstakingly rebuilt by the surviving Waziri and an English foreman named Jervis.
- Much of the book focuses on Tarzan raising his pet lion, Jad-bal-ja, on the newly restored grounds.
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| Tarzan And the Golden Lion |
5. Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy Under Siege (Modern "Wild Adventures" Series)
- In this authorized 2011 novel by Ralph N. Laughlin and Ann E. Johnson (set in the 1980s), the estate is demolished again by a guerrilla militia, forcing the aging Tarzan and his descendants to fight for their legacy once more
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| Jamie Chase |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Michael Moody is a lifelong fan and collector of Edger Rice Burroughs. Over the past forty-five years, Moody has contributed over two hundred articles to various ERB-related fanzines. He also manages an unauthorized Tarzan blog titled Greystoke Chronologist: James Michael Moody. There, the researcher chronologies the Tarzan books starting in May 1872 (known as the pushback theory) instead of the more accepted date, May 1888.
James Michael Moody also authorizes the action-packed Sci-Fi fantasy adventure Unium series. Pioneers On Unium, published December 31, 2019, Exiled On Unium, published August 25, 2022, and Swordsman On Unium, published on July 15, 2024.
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